Tottenham Hotspur may have been knocked out of the Champions League, but they delivered a strong performance on the night.
After months of humiliation and embarrassment, Tottenham Hotspur supporters finally have a reason to be proud of their club.
Spurs did not do enough to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals, but there are lots of positives to take from Wednesday night.
Rather than going with the usual three winners and losers format, let’s take a look at Tottenham’s five standout players from the encouraging match.
- UEFA Champions League
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TottenhamTottenham
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Atletico MadridAtletico Madrid
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Archie Gray was really good in the Spurs midfield
There is a reason Marcos Llorente walked over and shook the hand of Archie Gray when the 20-year-old was leaving the pitch last night.
Gray registered an assist in the second half, making a good interception before offloading the ball to Xavi Simons.
Once again, the Englishman performed well across different areas of the pitch, and he is truly a level above Pape Matar Sarr right now.
Xavi Simons was world-class for Tottenham
It has been so frustrating watching Xavi Simons underperform in North London when he obviously has so much potential.
However, his display against Atletico Madrid was quite special. The Dutchman almost had an assist when he played a promising through ball to Pedro Porro, and later on he scored his best goal yet in a Tottenham shirt.
Simons struck once more shortly before the match ended, scoring from the penalty spot after being fouled inside the box. If he continues to play like this under Igor Tudor, Spurs should be able to produce a strong finish to their season.
Callum Olusesi picked up some minutes
Callum Olusesi played the last 14 minutes at Anfield, and he was once again handed a brief appearance against Atleti.
The midfielder recently turned 19, so he has reached the stage where he will want to be getting as much senior football under his belt as possible.
It is great to see Tudor looking to give chances to his younger players, and hopefully this will continue for what remains of the season.
Lucas Bergvall has returned from his injury
Spurs fans were pleasantly surprised to discover that Lucas Bergvall would be in the matchday squad for Tottenham’s second-leg Champions League clash.
The Swede did not feature for long, but it is great to see him back in action much earlier than expected.
With Bergvall available and Gray playing the way he is, Spurs could have a really good and energetic midfield.
Mathys Tel has forced his way into Tottenham’s team
Mathys Tel has gone from being a bench warmer to regularly starting matches, and it would be unfair to suggest this is only due to injuries.
The Frenchman played well against Atletico Madrid, landing five shots on target, which is more than Spurs usually manage as a team during an entire game.
Tel provided Randal Kolo Muani with a great cross for Tottenham’s opening goal, and he was a real threat in the first half.
There was one instance when Tel took on a shot when it would have been a much better decision to square the ball, but other than that, he did very well indeed.